The present invention relates to an electrical plug-and-socket connection. The plug-and-socket connection includes a plug and a connecting element in the form of a plug connector, in particular for receiving a cable harness plug. The plug connector includes a housing provided with a plug connector opening in which a plurality of pin contacts directed toward the plug connector opening are provided for establishing an electrical contact. The plug also includes a protective device which has at least one opening for the passage of a pin contact and can be latched in a protective position using at least one latch element. The protective device can be brought from the protective position into an assembly position by joining the plug connector with the plug.
Protective devices of the type described above may be used for protecting plug connectors having very thin contact elements, e.g., pin contacts, in particular regarding their cross-section, against unintentional bending or damage. For this purpose, a strip-type protective device is described in German Utility Patent 94 20 525 U1. The protective device described therein has a plurality of bushings for receiving pin contacts. The pin contacts are completely covered in the protective position and exposed for electrical contact in the assembly position.
Furthermore, conventional protective devices can be inserted in a plug connector opening using complicated designs. However, they must be removed from the plug connector opening prior to attaching a plug.
In particular, in the case of male multiplug connectors, the pin contacts are usually secured using a protective cap by pressing this protective cap onto the pin contacts.
One disadvantage of such conventional protective devices is that protective devices that are to be removed manually may be accidentally left in. In addition, depending on the design of such a protective device, more room may be needed in order to guarantee the function of such a protective device.
Furthermore, another disadvantage of conventional protective devices is that protective devices arranged in the plug connector openings have a very complex design and are therefore very expensive to manufacture and complicated to install.
An object of the present invention is to improve an electrical plug-and-socket connection so that a protective device is created without changing the plug geometry, which protects small-cross-section pin contacts in particular against damage in a simple and functional manner.
This object is achieved by providing a plug-and-socket connection designed so that a contact element which works together with the latch element and releases the latch connection as the plug is attached to the plug connector is provided on the plug for actuating the protective device.
According to the present invention, a protective device, for example, designed as a plate or a strip, is mounted within a plug connector opening of a plug connector in a displaceable manner without it being necessary to remove this protective device from the plug connector opening, for example, using tools in order to attach a plug.
This allows very simple handling without danger of such a protective device being forgotten, for example, for transport. Furthermore, it offers the advantage that no additional space is needed in order to arrange such a protective device within a plug connector opening.
The latch connection of the protective device within the plug connector device offers the advantage that this protective device cannot easily fall out of the plug connector opening, neither can it be easily pushed away due to incorrect handling.
Another advantage of the protective device according to the present invention is that, since the latching position, determined by the recesses in the inner wall of the plug connector opening in which latch elements of the protective device engage, can be freely selected, it is possible to attach the contact terminals, for example, for testing or programming a controller, even when the protective device is in the protective position. For this purpose, the protective device may be located 0.1 cm below the free end of the respective pin contact, for example, so that the free ends project from the openings in the protective device.
Another advantage of the present invention is that during the connection procedure, for example, while a cable harness plug is being inserted in the plug connector opening, the latch connection of the protective device is automatically released and the protective device is pressed along the pin contacts toward the bottom of the plug connector opening. For this purpose, a contact element arranged on the free end of a plug is provided, which may be designed in the shape of peg which may be pressed into a borehole of the latch element during insertion whereby the latch element is pulled out of the recesses of the plug connector opening thus releasing the latch connection. A groove-like recess provided on the free end of the peg-type formation of the contact element latches with the protective device when the plug is further pressed down, so that the plug and the protective device can only be moved back and forth together in the plug connector opening. When the plug is pulled out of the plug connector opening, the plug is pulled together with the protective device in the direction of the plug connector opening until the protective device is latched accordingly. By further pulling the plug, a snap connection between the plug and the protective device is also released, so that the protective device is now in the protective position again.